Ten UNCSA students and alumni were selected to study intensively at Penland under professional artists in 8 different summer workshops in media as diverse as metals, books, glass, clay, printmaking, photography, and mixed-media performance sculpture in summer 2010.

Untitled, mixed media on wood

The quotes and most of the images of work below are from their Kenan fellowship applications. The pictures of the students were taken at Penland by Betsy Dewitt.

"I feel that by participating in this program I might be given insight into a larger spectrum of artistic sensibilities and thus widen my own. I believe that exploration outside one's own immediate range of ideas can only strengthen one's ability to voice those ideas."

At Penland, Emily pursued her interest in painting and printmaking in Mezzotint Madddness with Jenny Schmid, a seventh-session class that covered mezzotint, an unusual 17th century intaglio printmaking technique.

“I feel so lucky to have worked with so many talented artists and to have learned an entirely different form of printmaking from one of my favorite printmakers. It has been such a thrill to work with Jenny Schmid, an artist I have long admired and can now call a friend. I even got to pose for a daguerreotype! I am sad to leave Penland – but when I return to Chicago I will be armed with new skills and broader insight for my work.”

“I worship the all mighty mark -- marks that demand that we claw our toes into this earth and scrape our elbows against brick giants; marks that can tell us the great stories or the greater truths with just a few lines. I am intoxicated by them and they saturate my attention, so I’m always looking for new ones – new ones so that I can tell better stories, bigger truths.”

Nick will have the opportunity to further explore mark making in the Penland class Consider the Lines with Yoonmi Nam during seventh session. The class will focus on drawing and painting with sumi ink and brush, going beyond traditional Asian painting to a contemporary and experimental approach.

“Without meaning to sound cheesy, I won’t paint the same again. I have learned a new medium, method, and way of thinking about mark. If I am able to, I would love to try taking another class as a work study student. I have had no bad experience while I’ve been here, and the energy from everyone feels incredibly rare and genuine.”

Velva May, gelatin silver print

Lucy Clark
UNCSA: 2008 - 2010

“As an art student, when assignments are due, it can be difficult to remember that the ultimate goal is to be an artist. It can be difficult to stay focused on creating strong original work. Coming home [to Penland where Lucy grew up] always rejuvenates my love and passion for art. A class at Penland, with its positive atmosphere and acceptance of ideas would really help me take the skills and work ethic I have gained at UNCSA and develop them into a cohesive body of work.”

Lucy selected a photography class, titled Maps of the Mind with Jeff Goodman. She and her classmates investigated perception, light, and time through a number of photo processes including black and white photography, time exposures, light painting, and photograms.

“I had worked digitally, but never in the darkroom. This class, with my wonderful instructor Jeff Goodman, gave me a foundation in film photography and has shown me the magic of the darkroom. … This experience has been the most important thing I have done for my art. It has made me much surer of what I want to do – continue my education at a 4 year art institute – but now I will take a gap year including the fall 8-week concentration at Penland with Dan Estabrook in photography. I am so excited!”

“Penland will provide an environment that will support my individual and artistic growth as a developing artist allowing me to learn and refine new skills while enjoying a priceless experience. At Penland I can totally submerge myself in a workshop setting while learning directly from experienced students and professionals in unique fields of study. This opportunity will allow me to focus on learning skills that I can apply to a body of work and my studio practices for the rest of my career Moreover, I am increasingly interested in the relationship between craft and fine art. I have primarily been educated in and exposed to the fine arts. Penland will provide me an opportunity to learn in depth about craft and how established craft artists have learned and been successful.”

Lea took a glass class with Mark Angus titled Stories on Flat Glass. The human figure, the face, and gestures were themes of students’ painting and drawing on the surface of colored and clear glass using enamel, engraving, sandblasting, and other methods.

“Schools like this empower and dwarf individuals at the same time, allowing students to grow exponentially and broaden their technique while seeing themselves as a smaller part in a community. … I participated in a flat glass course where I learned enameling and processes for stained glass that were very unique. I also had the opportunity to collaborate with two glass blowers. This was a very unique, inspiring experience and brought the two sides of the glass studio together. Becoming a part of the glass studio and participating in its processes first hand was my goal and it has been achieved. This experience also brought me closer to a community of other artists, producing lasting relationships with new friends and colleagues. It is my new goal to utilize this experience as a stepping stone to the Core Fellowship program at Penland and to other programs around the nation. This experience is truly a tremendous opportunity for UNCSA students to stand out among their peers and integrate themselves into the professional world. Receiving this fellowship has been a great experience and the “spark” of what I hope is the beginning of a chain of several opportunities in the craft and fine arts world.”

“I am attending the School of the Art Institute in Chicago where I have been making art in a conceptual environment. I am creating sculptures that are meant to be interactive and often performative. I have made these sculptures without specific technical training from the school but just by virtue of having the facilities and the encouragement of ideas.”

Justus continued his exploration of interactive and performance sculpture at Penland in Moving Faces: Puppetry and Portraiture with Clare Dolan and Erica Mott. The class paid particular attention to the intersection between sculpture and the performing body, first making masks and dances and then giant faces that functioned as sculptural forms and performance objects.

“I could not have enjoyed my time more and I respect the focus on technique and attention to detail that has helped me to gain skills in making and performing. The connections I made and the community I experienced have been invaluable and provided me with perspective. After the class, I am still making masks and puppets and am working at Redmoon Theatre in Chicago that my instructor Clare helped to start.”

“As a practicing artist and filmmaker, I have truly begun to understand and appreciate the level of precision and craft that go into creating the worlds that films take us to. As a craft school, and as a school that is renowned for its exceptional training and faculty, I feel that Penland could be an excellent opportunity for me to broaden my skills.”

Karelia's strong interest in technical theatre also attracted her to the Penland class Moving Faces: Puppetry and Portraiture with Clare Dolan and Erica Mott.

“I have to say that Penland was enlightening. Never before have I been in such an overwhelmingly talented and supportive community. The class I took, Moving Faces: Puppetry & Portraiture with Erica Mott and Clare Dolan, was inspirational in many new and surprisingly relevant ways. As an aspiring film and animation student, I now find myself trying ways to involve puppetry into my films, writing, and performance.”

Conflicted, oil pastels and acrylic on wood

Eric Rinehart
UNCSA: 2008 - 2010

“With my time at UNCSA almost over, I feel energized and ready to leap. I know I will always be a student of Art. I realize that learning innovative ways of working will expand my horizons, and the struggle to master fresh techniques will bring great reward. In addition, I know what I want to discover in my work, and exploring new materials will only intensify my desire and facilitate my goals in far grander ways than I could previously conceive. At Penland, I strongly anticipate my imagination and resourcefulness being tested.”

Eric took a metals class with David Clemons called The Art of Containment. This class took a mixed-media approach to exploring the concept of containment in sculpture or objects for the body.

“This generous fellowship granted me one of the most eye opening experiences in my life. Learning metalsmithing from the immensely knowledgeable David Harper Clemons and living at Penland, even for just a short time, did more than just excite my artistic spirit. My class was both nurturing conceptually and in the technique needed to work metal as an artistic medium. It helped me to think about my work in a more complex way, to develop my concepts, and has further instilled in me that craft and concept need to be both executed with precision. … Living at Penland made me realize that it is important to cherish the human being in me and not just the artist. After making many friends, loving everyday, and pushing myself artistically and conceptually, I have come home and continued to grow – to grow as an artist and even more as a person.”

“My work often originates from a narrative. Often these stories are not linear, nor may they even be described in words. Rather, they originate from strong emotions I have felt. Elaborating on and translating those emotions into visual experiences offers me a fantastic venue for personal expression, and I love it. ... I want to learn, create, and be remarkably skilled at what I love to do.”

Austin was part of a clay class called Gesture, Psychology, and the Figure with Tip Toland. This class helped build Austin’s tools for using narrative in his work; using clay over an armature, students sculpted figures, discussing how to suggest narrative and nuanced psychological effects.

"I’ve heard stories of Penland’s magic and how wonderful the experience is, but I had no idea how profoundly it would affect me in just two weeks! Never have I experienced such self-improvement, in skill and in intellect. …
This class has focused on sculpting the human form in clay, paying particularly close attention to the psychology and emotion of gesture and facial expressions. This has served as a quintessential cornerstone in my journey to become an animator. Like the clay under my fingertips, I feel that even in this short time I’ve been sculpted into something I can be fervently proud of!”

“I am an artist. I act, I sing, I dance, I create. And all of these art forms (plus many more) can be used together to build a strong body of work and to create a well-rounded, developed, and strong artist....I formed a sculpture piece after a young choreographer’s contemporary dance piece last year and was continuously excited about my sculpture because of all the memories of the performance and concepts of the choreographer buried within it. My next step is to collaborate with a final piece of art instead of just in the creation and making process. I love the idea of creating a theatrical visual arts piece -- one that really sucks in and surrounds the viewer just like film does -- something that appeals to all the senses, not just the eyes. All this has therefore led me to search for artists, places, and schools who believe in the collaboration and immersion of all arts... One of these places is Penland. ”

Christina was one of three Kenan Fellows who selected Moving Faces: Puppetry and Portraiture with Clare Dolan and Erica Mott.

“I am very interested in an internship with Bread and Puppet Theatre in the future and this experience will help me reach and excel in that goal. I now have simple tools for mask/costume/etc. and ideas to add into future performance pieces.”

Figure Study, charcoal

Maria Smith
UNCSA: 2009-2010

“I see Penland as an excellent opportunity to continue my education onward from UNCSA, and to experience mediums that I have not explored yet. I love to learn and make things...and I believe Penland will help me obtain the skills that I will someday need to achieve my goal of becoming a professional illustrator.”

Jessica took the class Elemental Books: Solid Foundations with Sara Langworthy. This class covered the fundamental techniques and materials of bookbinding and then drew on these skills, merging structure and material with image and content.

“Penland was great! I met a lot of cool people and being exposed to a new medium – books – has opened up a lot of new options in my work. I hope to come back next year.”

Here are a few pictures from a performance by the Moving Faces: Puppetry and Portraiture class; three students in the class were Kenan fellows.

Daniel, a sculptor working primarily in wood, paper, and fabricated and machined steel, presented his work to students, faculty and guests. He highlighted how he incorporates bookbinding in his sculptural work and uses it to suggest narrative.

Workshop with Daniel Marinelli

Daniel worked with two groups of UNCSA visual art students, teaching them a simple bookbinding structure.

'It was a wonderful experience to work with this group of young people and administrators at UNCSA. As a resident artist at Penland, I hold great value in the opportunity to be immersed and work in a supportive community of artists, and it was great to see parallels at UNCSA. How fortunate these young artists are to be a part of that program and to have to the opportunity to take classes at Penland through the Kenan Fellowship program. I am proud to have been a part of this partnership which obviously holds great possibilities for these students and the community of artists at Penland."